Chanukah

[liv]

I have ideological issues with Chanukah. But this evening, I came home from work, and was so dead tired that I fell straight to sleep (this was the middle of the afternoon!) And I woke up and it was cold and dark, but there was my chanukah present from lethargic_man. All of a sudden, I felt far away from my family and my people, and I had a strong impulse to go out to the corner shop and buy nightlights with which I improvised a chanukah lamp.

Then I sat down and wrote a highly enthusiastic review of The Player of Games.

To those who care about such things, happy chanukah.

Comments

Of token rebellions in religion

[lethargic-man.livejournal.com]

I must admit that I really admired that single light thing you did at Hengrave a couple of years back; making a point of doing the absolute bare letter of the law minimum is an extremely stylish approach.

That reminds me of the situation in Guy Gavriel Kay's (fantasy novel) Tigana, in which every year there is a three day period, the Ember Days, during which no fires are to be lit or maintained.

There is a people in the book who have undergone a national disaster -- the conquest of their land, the destruction of its cities, the death of their king, the oppression of the people and even the taking away by sorcery of their land's name. We meet a member of this people who insists on keeping a single light lit through the Ember Days, as a symbol of the way her people have been let down by their god.

I was most struck with this when I read it; it struck me as a very apt way of registering rage at the G-d you continue, nonetheless, to serve. ("Not bloody theodicy again," groans rysmiel.) However, I never could see an easy way to fit it into Judaism.

Maybe I just wasn't looking hard enough. (Or very hard at all, for that matter.)

Re: Of token rebellions in religion

[rysmiel.livejournal.com]

There is a people in the book who have undergone a national disaster -- the conquest of their land, the destruction of its cities, the death of their king, the oppression of the people and even the taking away by sorcery of their land's name. We meet a member of this people who insists on keeping a single light lit through the Ember Days, as a symbol of the way her people have been let down by their god.

My connection with that was the Bealtaine fire, and St. Patrick breaking the Ban.

[liv]

That reminds me of the situation in Guy Gavriel Kay's (fantasy novel) Tigana
Thanks, that's a very interesting comparison. I think there's a substantive difference between protesting against the status quo by lighting in a dark period, and by being temperate about lights when everyone around is going overboard. Still, interesting idea.

it struck me as a very apt way of registering rage at the G-d you continue, nonetheless, to serve.
Do you know the story of the group of rabbis in the Camps who put God on trial for allowing the Shoah to happen? And the trial was very long and complicated, and went on and on for hours, but eventually the rabbis returned a guilty verdict. But before they could pass sentence, their disciples reminded them, "Our masters, it is time to recite the Shema".

I am a little uncomfortable with repeating that story, because I can't be sure of its authenticity. I'm not sure this reluctance is entirely rational; I'm quite happy promulgating myths from earlier times with no idea of whether they are literally historically true, so why should myths referring to the Holocaust be any different? Anyway, the immediate source is The Rosh Hashanah / Yom Kippur Survival Kit (Apisdorf 1992) which we use quite a lot in our HHD liturgy.

Not bloody theodicy again
Well, having said all the above, I don't think that taking issues with Chanukah is really about theodicy at all. It's registering a protest, maybe even rage at certain parts of the historical and current Jewish community failing to live up to our holy heritage.

However, I never could see an easy way to fit it into Judaism.
Maybe I just wasn't looking hard enough. (Or very hard at all, for that matter.)
If you ever get a chance to hear R. Wittenberg speak, you should definitely do so. I have always been aware of a strong tradition of theodicy and even protest against God within Judaism; it permeates both our liturgy and our scholarship. But some of that stuff you might find too weird and Reform to be meaningful to you; R. Wittenberg is Masorti his stuff is completely rooted in tradition.

[lethargic_man]

I have always been aware of a strong tradition of theodicy and even protest against God within Judaism; it permeates both our liturgy and our scholarship.

Could you elaborate on this, please? I am writing an article for this year's Grassroots Jews booklet about why I do not prostrate (using Tigana as an analogy), and would not like to leave myself open to rebuttal on account of ignorance.

Re: Of token rebellions in religion

[lethargic-man.livejournal.com]

It struck me a little while ago (but I forgot to mention it to you) that actually I do have an equivalent in my life of the refusing to extinguish all flames on the Ember Days: I don't, and won't, bow in the High Holyday services.

This year everyone else in eye range without my actually looking about was bowing; I was the only one not. But I stuck to my guns; I'll worship the Creator but won't bow to a god the liturgy claims to reward the good but allows <insert example of choice> to happen.